


the nightmare masks

by gallifreyans



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, also. i'm sorry., fuck beta post or die
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-08
Updated: 2018-09-08
Packaged: 2019-07-08 11:07:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15929174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gallifreyans/pseuds/gallifreyans
Summary: let soren rest 1482





	the nightmare masks

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dreamtowns](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamtowns/gifts).
  * Inspired by [the maskimal discourse](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/416162) by sammie x-adia. 



it wasn’t supposed to be like this. that wasn’t the plan. but i guess you can’t quite plan with your head stuffed in a fake rabbit.

see, callum was experimenting. how many members of the castle staff will let you stay out until midnight, how many guards slept on the job, how many paintings can you flip upside down until someone notices. basic stuff. but callum didn’t always like to play easy. he was royalty, he could have fun sometimes. and so he went out and found someone who made him a large white rabbit mask. just a basic experiment to see how many double takes, how many confused glances, how many people ask if he’s ok.

it goes fine at first. the usual amount of double takes, the occasional “hello, callum.” in exasperated voices. claudia didn’t even acknowledge that anything had changed. he and ezran had fun sneaking into the kitchens with a mask on, in turns. callum even got ezran a panda mask, to match. the kitchen staff pretended not to notice, hiding their loving grins in their aprons.

he and ezran go their separate ways, one to “lessons on being a decent king”, in the words of their father, and one to his bedroom, where he hoped to get a good night’s rest. it was raining outside of the castle, nothing too much, but enough to warrant the “extra blanket protocol”. callum decided to continue wearing the rabbit mask, just so he had a little extra warmth. boy, that was a mistake.

the walk to his room was almost silent, with only the rain pattering on the stained glass windows to keep him company. he must have zoned out, because he ran into a certain someone on his walk.

all the king hears is a bloodcurdling shriek. like someone is being brutally murdered right before his eyes. but it’s far away, too far away. if he didn’t know, he’d bolt down the halls, desperate to save his loyal soldier. unfortunately, he knew the circumstances of this riot. he regretfully opens his closet door, and greets an old friend with tired eyes.

the lord viren is studying magic when he hears it. it jolts him out of his thoughts, an all-too-familiar sound coming from an empty hallway in an empty castle. he thinks of all the times he’s heard that sound on a battlefield or in a fight, desperate and terrified. and then he sighs, and continues his work. he’s had a rough day, that may or may not have included being stalked by a boy in a rabbit costume.

claudia doesn’t doubt a single thing. she looks up and softly laughs to herself, because that horrified yell is music to her ears. especially after witnessing a small child with a panda mask attack her father.

soren is completely and utterly done with the whole castle. he had gone a whole day without a single incident. all he wanted was a nice snack and some rest. he glares at the boy after he takes his mask off, shaking with laughter.  
“that’s not funny, callum!”

callum just laughs harder, as if someone told him the funniest joke since he met lord viren. ashamed and disappointed, soren turns to walk away. his head is tilted just low enough to lock eyes with a panda. no, a boy in a panda mask. soren jumps out of his skin, startled but not surprised in the least bit. he’s been ridiculed by both princes, he is a shame to his family, he might as well resign and retire to a cabin in the deep woods. maybe he can convince marcos to come with him.

as he enters the throne room, ready to turn in his resignation letter, he sees through weary eyes what every traumatized teenager dreads to see.

the king, _the_ king of katolis, the supreme ruler of all things in this twisted kingdom, was wearing a bulldog mask, crown on top as if it were a cherry delicately placed on the very top of a sundae. out of all people who could terrorize this poor crown guard, it was the king. with watery eyes from fear and exasperation, soren trudged out of the room, slumped over and wishing for a good night’s rest.

as he enters his room, he sees a figure out of the corner of his eye. he sighs in relief. _finally,_ he thinks, _a normal person who won’t scare the shit out of me with an animal mask!_ he turns and instantly wishes he hadn’t. marcos, his trusted guard, his loyal friend, his homo bromo, was wearing a large panther mask. and so, soren does what he feels is right, what is necessary.

he throws the nearest object at marcos’s hideous mask.


End file.
